Intelligent towing plug

ABSTRACT

An intelligent towing plug apparatus and software system that performs trailer electrical system testing, diagnostic and monitoring routines as well as towing vehicle plug testing utilizing wireless technology housed completely inside a towing adapter plug or attached towing plug compartment housing that interfaces with any smart phone or towing vehicle on-board computer system that has downloaded or preinstalled the intelligent towing plug mobile application or software compatible with the on-board computer&#39;s operating system.

RELATED U.S. APPLICATION DATA

The present application claims priority to U.S. Provisional ApplicationNo. 61/865,195, filed on Aug. 13, 2013.

BACKGROUND

For both consumer and commercial trailer use a safety check is requiredto ensure that the trailer systems, lights, brakes, etc., are workingproperly before the trailer is pulled onto a road and into traffic.Trailer and truck plug wiring is often exposed to harsh elements, roaddirt and debris that can cause damage to the wires and failure of theelectrical circuit needed to operate a particular trailer electricalsystem. The testing of the trailer system typically requires twopeople—one to manually engage the circuits from within the towingvehicle such as turning on the lights, turn signals or pressing thebrake pedal, and one person to stand behind the trailer and observewhether the circuits are visibly working such as brake lightsilluminating. Often when a circuit is found to be not working it takesconsiderable time, effort and expertise to determine if the problem iswith the trailer system or the truck plug. There currently are productsin the marketplace that can be attached to an idle trailer's plug andusing an external battery source (not the towing vehicle) test thecircuits of the trailer to determine any faults within the system.However, these test units are large, heavy and require a 12 volt batteryor connection to a 110-120 volt electric power receptacle to provide thepower needed to test the trailer system's circuits. Many of thesesystems also do not provide any diagnostic tools within the system norare they capable of testing the towing vehicle's plug. These type oftesting units are predominately used by truck/trailer rental yards.There are also products in the marketplace that can be installed ontothe trailer body itself and then are wired to the trailer wire harnessthat is connected to the trailer plug. These type of units use thetowing vehicle's 12 volt power supply to test the trailer systems. Thesesystems can be wired or wireless such as U.S. Pat. No. 6,525,654 andthey require that a separate display device be installed within the cabof the towing vehicle such as a truck/tractor so that the results of thetesting and monitoring system can be viewed by the driver. These systemsrequire installation and expertise by the user to correctly and properlywire the transmitter unit to the trailer wiring harness and install thereceiver display unit inside the towing vehicle. This level ofinstallation expertise is far beyond the knowledge and skills of theaverage towing vehicle user or owner. These type of systems are notportable or mobile to be easily and quickly installed and used withmultiple towing vehicles and trailers. They also are not capable oftesting the towing vehicle's trailer towing plug. It would be highlydesirable to have a device that can test a system circuit on both thetrailer and struck side of a plug. It would also be highly desirable tobe able to monitor those systems in real time while the trailer is beingtowed so that any fault of any of the electrical circuits within thetrailer system could be immediately known and safety precautions takento ensure the safety of the passengers in the tow vehicle as well asthose on the road in the vicinity of the trailer. There are no industrystandards for this type of trailer system monitoring from within thetowing vehicle nor are there systems provided by truck/tractormanufacturers as standard equipment to provide this type of trailersafety monitoring feature and functionality. There is a need for asimple, universal, inexpensive and highly portable and mobile testingand monitoring system that can be quickly plugged into industry standardplug types without any expertise and easily monitored with a highlyavailable off-the-shelf hand held display unit that can easily fit inyour pocket or be displayed in the cab of a towing vehicle. A highlydesirable unit would be quickly and easily plugged and unplugged fromone towing vehicle or trailer to another and automatically test thetrailer systems and vehicle towing plug before using the trailer,diagnose any broken circuits or faults and then monitor the trailersystems in real time while the trailer is in use. An ideal ‘plug andplay’ device would be compatible with industry standard 7-pin, 7-blade,6-way round, 4-way round, 5-way flat and 4-way flat wiring adapter plugswithout any customization of any kind making the product highly usefulfor both the consumer and commercial user. A highly desirable version ofa device would also be compatible with the NATO military 12-pin plug.

SUMMARY

A preferred embodiment of the present invention is a trailer light,brake and electrical system testing, diagnostic and monitoring apparatusutilizing wireless technology housed completely inside an industrystandard trailer adapter plug that bi-directionally interfaces with anyelectronic data processing device (EDP) such as but not limited to asmart phone, towing vehicle on-board computer or other computer that hasdownloaded or preinstalled an intelligent towing plug mobile application(mobile app) or software version compatible with vehicle on-boardcomputer operating systems. The apparatus device also tests the towingvehicle's plug to determine if the vehicle plug is receiving circuitsignals from the vehicle. A printed circuit board (PCB or PCBA)containing components such as microcontroller(s) (MCU), centralprocessing unit (CPU), wireless module, memory, software and/or firmwareas examples only is fully contained inside the trailer adapter plug ortowing vehicle trailer towing plug (intelligent towing plug). Whenplugged into the towing vehicle's trailer towing plug AND the trailer'sadapter plug, the PCB utilizes the power source from the towing vehicleto run testing, diagnostic and monitoring routines for the trailersystem and a testing routine for the towing vehicle plug sending theresulting data via an industry standard wireless protocol to a smartphone or towing vehicle on-board computer that is running a mobile appor software designed to interface with the intelligent towing plugallowing the user to view the test data, diagnostic data and monitoringof the systems while the trailer is idle or in use. The system comprisedof the intelligent towing plug device and mobile app also allows theuser to initiate testing or diagnostic routines from the mobile app.System data such as circuit faults can also be heard as an audiblewarning so that the user is not visually distracted from safe drivingwhile towing the trailer and using the intelligent towing plug system.

The intelligent towing plug is compatible will all industry standardtruck and trailer adapter plugs including but not limited to consumer,commercial, industrial and military type plugs.

In another embodiment of the present invention the intelligent towingplug wireless data transmission is sent to the existing on-boardcomputer system of the towing vehicle which has downloaded orpreinstalled the intelligent towing plug mobile app or software versioncompatible with vehicle on-board computer operating systems and displaysthe testing, diagnostic and monitoring data on the factory built-in orafter market display monitor. The on-board computer using the mobile appor compatible software sends software originated wireless signals to theintelligent towing plug PCB initiating and managing various testing,diagnostic and monitoring routines

Another embodiment of the present invention is to place the intelligenttowing plug PCB and its components inside the towing vehicle's trailertowing plug and eliminate the need for the adapter style intelligenttowing plug that is placed in between the towing vehicle's trailertowing plug and the trailer's adapter plug. In this embodiment theintelligent towing plug could be installed as truck/tractor standardequipment or as an aftermarket truck/trailer accessory. In thisembodiment the intelligent towing plug could also be hard wired via acommunications BUS to the towing vehicle's on-board computer system anddisplay monitor or utilize the wireless version to display system datato a smart phone or the towing vehicle's on-board computer system usingindustry standard wireless or proprietary protocols.

Yet another embodiment of the present invention is to place the PCB andits components inside the trailer adapter plug and eliminate the needfor the adapter style intelligent towing plug that is placed in betweenthe towing vehicle's towing adapter plug and the trailer adapter plug.In this embodiment the intelligent trailer plug could be installed astrailer standard equipment or as an after market trailer accessory. Inthis embodiment the intelligent towing plug can also transmit systemdata to a smart phone or the towing vehicle's on-board computer systemusing industry standard wireless protocols. The intelligent towing plugPCB also receives mode routine initiation and management wirelesssignals from the smart phone or on-board computer system using theintelligent towing plug mobile app. or compatible computer software.

Yet another embodiment of the present invention is to use cellular ormobile networks such as GSM, FDMA, CDMA or TDMA as examples only toconnect the smart phone or on-board computer to an application serverwhere the intelligent towing plug software resides and use the Internetto transmit and receive intelligent towing plug data. This networkconnection can be used in lieu of a wireless or wired connection betweenthe smart phone or on-board computer and the intelligent towing plug PCBby adding a mobile chipset to the intelligent towing plug PCB. Or thesmart phone or on-board computer can communicate with the intelligenttowing plug PCB as described in the preferred embodiment via a wirelessprotocol or wired communication BUS to the on-board computer but accessthe intelligent towing plug software via an Internet connection to anapplication server using a mobile network instead of the mobile app orsoftware residing on the smart phone or on-board computer.

In all embodiments of the wireless and wired version of the inventionthe mobile app or compatible software could be either downloaded orpreinstalled onto a smart phone or an on-board computer system of thetowing vehicle, be factory installed as standard equipment on the towingvehicle's computer system or the software could reside on an applicationserver connecting to the smart phone or on-board computer via theInternet using a mobile network. The wireless module on the intelligenttowing plug PCB is any industry standard wireless protocol including butnot limited to Bluetooth, IEEE standards including but not limited to802.11, WiFi, wireless USB and Radio Frequency (RF) or a proprietaryprotocol as examples only.

In all embodiments of the present invention the intelligent towing plugand mobile app or compatible software has a plurality of modes includingbut not limited to trailer test & diagnostic mode—tests and diagnosesthe trailer circuit systems; trailer monitoring mode—monitors thetrailer circuit systems while the trailer is being towed; batterymode—tests all the trailer circuit systems when the trailer is nothooked up to a towing vehicle; and towing vehicle plug test mode—teststhe towing vehicle's trailer towing plug to see if there are circuitsignals being received from the towing vehicle as examples only.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 shows an exemplary view of the preferred embodiment of theintelligent towing plug adapter device wirelessly transmitting trailersystem electrical data via PCB housed inside the plug housing andreceiving software initiated signals using a wireless protocol to andfrom a smart phone mobile software application.

FIG. 2 shows an exemplary view of another embodiment of the presentinvention showing the PCB contained within the towing vehicle trailertowing plug wirelessly transmitting trailer system electrical data andreceiving software initiated signals using a wireless protocol to andfrom a smart phone mobile software application.

FIG. 3 shows an exemplary view of another embodiment of the presentinvention showing the PCB contained within the trailer adapter plugwirelessly transmitting trailer system electrical data and receivingsoftware initiated signals using a wireless protocol to and from smartphone mobile software application.

FIG. 4 shows an exemplary view of another embodiment of the intelligenttowing plug adapter wirelessly transmitting trailer system electricaldata and receiving software initiated signals using a wireless protocolto and from the towing vehicle's on-board computer system usingintelligent towing plug software.

FIG. 5 shows an exemplary view of another embodiment of the presentinvention plugged into a 12 v battery to provide power for wirelesslytransmitting trailer electrical system data and receiving softwareinitiated signals using a wireless protocol to and from smart phonemobile software application when there is no towing vehicle to providepower.

FIG. 6 shows an exemplary high level view of the circuit powermanagement of a 7-pin or 7-blade plug in the test & diagnostic mode ofthe intelligent towing plug when the trailer is parked and idle and themonitor mode when the trailer is in use.

FIG. 7 shows an exemplary high level functional flow chart showing anintelligent towing plug trailer test routine initiated from a smartphone mobile software application or towing vehicle on-board computersystem using intelligent towing plug software.

FIG. 8 shows an exemplary view of yet another embodiment of the presentinvention showing the software application residing on an applicationserver instead of the smart phone connected by the Internet using amobile network to send and receive wireless trailer system electricaldata transmitted using a wireless protocol to and from a smart phone.

FIG. 9 shows an exemplary view of yet another embodiment of the presentinvention showing the software application residing on an applicationserver instead of the smart phone connected by the Internet using amobile network to send and receive trailer system electrical datatransmitted using the Internet via a mobile network to and from theintelligent towing plug and smart phone.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following paragraphs, the present invention will be described indetail by way of example with reference to the attached drawings.Throughout this description, the preferred embodiment and examples shownshould be considered as exemplars, rather than as limitations on thepresent invention. As used herein, the “present invention” refers to anyone of the embodiments of the invention described herein, and anyequivalents. Furthermore, reference to various feature(s) of the“present invention” throughout this document does not mean that allclaimed embodiments or methods must include the referenced feature(s).

This invention now will be described more fully hereinafter withreference to the accompanying drawings, in which exemplary embodimentsare shown. Various embodiments are now described with reference to thedrawings, wherein such as reference numerals are used to refer to suchas elements throughout. In the following description, for purposes ofexplanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to providea thorough understanding of one or more embodiments. It may be evident,however, that such embodiment(s) may be practiced without these specificdetails. In other instances, well-known structures and devices are shownin block diagram form in order to facilitate describing one or moreembodiments.

This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms andshould not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein.These embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thoroughand complete and will fully convey the scope of the invention to thoseof ordinary skill in the art. Moreover, all statements herein recitingembodiments of the invention, as well as specific examples thereof, areintended to encompass both structural and functional equivalentsthereof. Additionally, it is intended that such equivalents include bothcurrently known equivalents as well as equivalents developed in thefuture (i.e., any elements developed that perform the same function,regardless of structure).

Thus, for example, it will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill inthe art that the diagrams, schematics, illustrations, and the such asrepresent conceptual views or processes illustrating systems and methodsembodying this invention. The functions of the various elements shown inthe figures may be provided through the use of dedicated hardware aswell as hardware capable of executing associated software. Similarly,any switches shown in the figures are conceptual only. Their functionmay be carried out through the operation of program logic, throughdedicated logic, through the interaction of program control anddedicated logic, or even manually, the particular technique beingselectable by the entity implementing this invention. Those of ordinaryskill in the art further understand that the exemplary hardware,software, processes, methods, and/or operating systems described hereinare for illustrative purposes and, thus, are not intended to be limitedto any particular named manufacturer.

FIG. 1 shows an exemplary view of the preferred embodiment of theintelligent towing plug adapter device wirelessly transmitting trailersystem electrical data via PCB housed inside the plug housing andreceiving software initiated signals using a wireless protocol to andfrom a smart phone mobile software application.

As shown in FIG. 1 the preferred embodiment of the intelligent towingplug adapter 100 is plugged into the towing vehicle's trailer towingplug 104 and the trailer adapter plug 105. In this exemplary view theplugs are industry standard 7-pin or 7-blade round plugs. There are aplurality of configurations that could be used to contain the wirelessPCB 102 within the intelligent towing plug adapter 100 including acompartment housing 101 attached to the intelligent towing plug adapter100. PCB 102 could also be contained inside the intelligent towing plugadapter 100. PCB 102 has a plurality of component configurationsconsisting of but not limited to an MCU (or multiple MCUs), CPU, SoC,IC, wireless module, memory, software and/or firmware as examples only.The wireless module component contains a transmission and receivingfunction 103 using an internal or external antenna and could use but notlimited to a plurality of wireless protocol configurations includingBluetooth, RF (multi-channel radio frequency), IEEE standards such asbut not limited to 802.11, WiFi, wireless USB or other industry standardwireless or proprietary wireless protocols supported by hand helddevices, smart phones and on-board towing vehicle or other computersystems. Wireless transmission and receiving function is bi-directionalbetween the intelligent towing plug PCB 102 and the smart phone 106 oron-board towing vehicle computer as shown in FIG. 4.

PCB 102 could also contain a mobile chipset replacing the wirelessmodule component for transmission and receiving function 103 over amobile network as shown in FIG. 9.

In this preferred embodiment of the present invention the trailerelectrical data wireless receiving EDP is a smart phone 106 thatcontains a mobile app 107 that displays the trailer system or towingvehicle plug data transmitted wirelessly by PCB 102 that is containedwithin the compartment housing 101 or the intelligent towing plugadapter 100. PCB 102 is connected to the plug pins or blades 108 insidethe intelligent towing plug adapter 100. The smart phone 106 also sendswireless data transmissions to PCB 102 to initiate and manage trailersystem testing, diagnostic and monitoring routines as well as towingvehicle trailer towing plug test routines using a mobile softwareapplication (mobile app).

Mobile app 107 is downloaded from the Internet to the smart phone 106and provides a user interface that initiates routines and subroutinesincluding but not limited to testing the trailer circuits, diagnosingcircuit breaks and faults and monitoring the trailer systems includingbut not limited to lights, turn signals, brakes and other electroniccircuits as well as displaying trailer electrical data on the smartphone screen. Test and monitoring routines enabled by PCB 102 insideintelligent towing plug adapter 100 receive power and circuit signalstransmitted from the towing vehicle through the towing vehicle's trailertowing plug 104 and then send and manage those circuit signals to thetrailer. Mobile app 107 can also be used to test and diagnose thetrailer systems while the trailer is in use or stationary as well astest the towing vehicle's trailer towing plug.

FIG. 1 shows the intelligent trailer plug 100 in a form compatible witha 7-pin commercial or 7-blade consumer industry standardtruck/trailer/RV plug. In other exemplary embodiments of the presentinvention other standard industry plug configurations are also usedincluding but not limited to 6-way round, 4-way round, 5-way flat and4-way flat wiring adapter plugs as well as NATO military 12-pin plugs.

In all embodiments of the present invention PCB 102 receives its powerfrom the appropriate power pin in the towing vehicle's trailer towingplug 104 depending on what type of industry standard intelligent trailerplug or adapter is being used or directly from a battery as illustratedin FIG. 5.

FIG. 2 shows an exemplary view of another embodiment of the presentinvention showing the PCB contained within the towing vehicle trailertowing plug wirelessly transmitting trailer system electrical data andreceiving software initiated signals using a wireless protocol to andfrom a smart phone mobile software application.

FIG. 2 is an exemplary view of PCB 102 placed inside the towingvehicle's trailer towing plug 104 or inside an attached housingcompartment 101 and plugged into trailer adapter plug 105. As shown inFIG. 1 the preferred embodiment of the present invention PCB 102contains a plurality of component configurations including a wirelessmodule that contains a transmission and receiving function 103 sendingtrailer electrical system or towing vehicle plug data using one of aplurality of wireless protocols to smart phone 106 which contains amobile app 107 that provides a user interface to initiate, display andmanage trailer system testing, diagnosis and monitoring as well astowing vehicle trailer towing plug 104 test data routines to and fromPCB 102.

In this exemplary embodiment of the present invention PCB 102 wirelessmodule could transmit the trailer system or towing vehicle plug data tothe towing vehicle's on-board computer system that contains mobile app107 or a software version compatible with the on-board computer'soperating system instead of a smart phone and receive software initiateddata signals back from the on-board computer system using the samewireless protocol as shown in FIG. 4.

FIG. 3 shows an exemplary view of another embodiment of the presentinvention showing the PCB contained within the trailer adapter plugwirelessly transmitting trailer system electrical data and receivingsoftware initiated signals using a wireless protocol to and from smartphone mobile software application.

FIG. 3 is an exemplary view of PCB 102 placed inside trailer adapterplug 105 or inside an attached housing compartment 101 and plugged intotowing vehicle's trailer towing plug 104. As shown in FIG. 1 thepreferred embodiment of the present invention PCB 102 contains aplurality of component configurations including a wireless module thatcontains a transmission and receiving function 103 sending trailerelectrical system or towing vehicle plug data using one of a pluralityof wireless protocols to smart phone 106 which contains a mobile app 107that provides a user interface to initiate, display and manage trailersystem testing, diagnosis and monitoring as well as towing vehicletrailer towing plug 104 test data routines to and from PCB 102.

In this exemplary embodiment of the present invention PCB 102 wirelessmodule could transmit the trailer system or towing vehicle plug data tothe towing vehicle's on-board computer system that contains mobile app107 or a software version compatible with the on-board computer'soperating system instead of a smart phone and receive software initiateddata signals back from the on-board computer system using the samewireless protocol as shown in FIG. 4.

FIG. 4 shows an exemplary view of another embodiment of the intelligenttowing plug adapter wirelessly transmitting trailer system electricaldata and receiving software initiated signals using a wireless protocolto and from the towing vehicle's on-board computer system usingintelligent towing plug software.

FIG. 4 shows an exemplary embodiment of the present invention asdescribed in FIG. 1 with transmission and receiving function 103wirelessly sending the trailer system or towing vehicle plug data to atowing vehicle on-board computer system 110 and display monitor 111contained within the towing vehicle's dash board 109 or in another areawithin the towing vehicle instead of a smart phone or in addition to asmart phone as described in FIG. 1. The towing vehicle on-board computersystem 110 contains mobile app 107 as described in FIG. 1 or a softwareversion compatible with the on-board computer's operating system.Software initiated signals from the towing vehicle on-board computersystem 110 are sent back to PCB 102 to initiate and manage variousintelligent towing plug routines and modes.

In other exemplary embodiments of the present invention described inFIGS. 2 and 3 transmission and receiving function 103 sends the trailerelectrical system or towing vehicle plug data to a towing vehicleon-board computer system 110 and display monitor 111 contained withinthe towing vehicle's dash board 109 or another area within the towingvehicle. The on-board computer system contains mobile app 107 or asoftware version compatible with the on-board computer's operatingsystem as described in FIG. 1. Software initiated signals from towingvehicle on-board computer system 110 are sent back to PCB 102 toinitiate and manage various intelligent towing plug modes.

In another exemplary embodiment PCB 102 wireless module is replaced by ahard-wired communications bus connection from PCB 102 to the towingvehicle's on-board computer system that contains mobile app 107 or asoftware version compatible with the on-board computer's operatingsystem.

FIG. 5 shows an exemplary view of another embodiment of the presentinvention plugged into a 12 v battery to provide power for wirelesslytransmitting trailer electrical system data and receiving softwareinitiated signals using a wireless protocol to and from smart phonemobile software application when there is no towing vehicle to providepower.

FIG. 5 shows an exemplary embodiment of the intelligent towing plugadapter 100 as described in FIG. 1 plugged into a towing vehicle trailertowing plug harness 104 a and the trailer adapter plug 105. The towingvehicle trailer towing plug harness 104 a is attached to a standard 12volt vehicle or other similar battery or power source for testing anddiagnosing trailer systems when a trailer is parked in a stationarystate and there is no towing vehicle providing the power necessary torun the intelligent towing plug PCB as described in FIG. 1. Using atowing vehicle trailer towing plug harness 104 a allows the user to testmultiple trailers by moving the battery and the intelligent trailer plug100 from trailer to trailer for testing and safety checks of multipletrailers in a trailer rental yard or fleet facility as examples withouta towing vehicle. There is a plurality of uses for a mobile batterypowered embodiment of the present invention consisting of an intelligenttowing plug and mobile app.

The power source for this exemplary embodiment of the present inventioncould also be a 110-120 v electrical outlet source utilizing a poweradapter.

FIG. 6 shows an exemplary high level view of the circuit powermanagement of a 7-pin or 7-blade plug in the test & diagnostic mode ofthe intelligent towing plug when the trailer is parked and idle and themonitor mode when the trailer is in use.

FIG. 6 is an exemplary high level power management chart of two of thefunctional routine modes of the preferred embodiment of the intelligenttrailer plug in a commercial 7-pin or consumer 7-blade industry standardplug configuration when it is plugged into the towing vehicle's trailertowing plug and the trailer adapter plug. The mobile app initiates thesemode sequence routines through the user interface of the intelligenttowing plug mobile app or software version compatible with a computer'soperating system which controls the intelligent towing plug's PCBcomponents through the wireless module as described in FIG. 1 and FIG. 4or a hard-wired communications BUS to the towing vehicle's on-boardcomputer system as described in FIG. 4. Other routine modes include butare not limited to battery mode and towing vehicle plug test mode.

1) Trailer Test & Diagnostic Mode—Continuous power to all circuits butthe brake circuit. In this example, the brake can only be tested whenthe brake pedal of the towing vehicle is engaged for safety reasons.(Insures the system does not automatically put the brake on while thevehicle is moving.) This test mode sequence can run in continuous serialmode testing each circuit one at a time or static mode testing all thecircuits at the same time. The test mode cannot be run while the towingvehicle and trailer are moving unless the user indicates through aseries of prompts in the mobile app user interface that the towingvehicle and trailer are stationary as shown in FIG. 7. This reduces therisk that the trailer lights are turned on and off during the testsequence routines while the trailer is moving and thereby creating asafety hazard for other driver's of other vehicles in the vicinity ofthe moving tow vehicle and trailer. Only in battery mode can the brakecircuit be automatically tested when a trailer is not hooked up to atowing vehicle.

2) Trailer Monitor Mode—Power is provided to each circuit only when thedriver of the towing vehicle engages the circuit, i.e. uses the turnsignal, turns on the lights, pushes the brake pedal, etc. Whenever thereis a broken circuit or fault, the PCB will send a signal to the mobileapp or vehicle on-board computer system giving both a visual lightindicator as to where the problem is as well as sound an audible alarm.

The mobile app or software version compatible with a computer'soperating system can initiate a plurality of routines including a towingvehicle towing trailer plug test to display each circuit signal from thetowing vehicle and indicate whether the signal is being received by thetowing vehicle plug or not as well as internal plug electronicdiagnostics to the trailer systems for locating over currents (shortcircuits) and low currents (open circuits) as examples only.

The default state of the plug is in trailer monitor mode. When thetrailer test mode function is engaged the system is automatically resetback to monitor mode when the test is complete and the results aredisplayed on the screen of the smart phone or towing vehicle on-boardcomputer monitor screen so that the vehicle lights do not come on whilethe vehicle is in motion which could be a safety hazard (turn signal orbrake lights displaying while moving). This default monitor mode willalso automatically turn off the continuous power mode (if this routineis engaged) to the trailer system after the test is complete so thetowing vehicle's battery doesn't run down because the lights arecontinuously on when the trailer is not in use and the vehicleengine/alternator is not running to keep the vehicle's battery charged.

While in trailer monitor mode the system can be put into trailer testmode but only after the user acknowledges a series of warnings forsafety reasons as illustrated in FIG. 7. And even then the brake circuitcan only be engaged by pressing the brake pedal so that the systemcannot automatically engage the brake while the towing vehicle andtrailer are moving. Only in battery mode can the intelligent towing plugautomatically test trailer brake circuits and systems.

FIG. 7 shows an exemplary high level functional flow chart showing anintelligent towing plug trailer test routine initiated from a smartphone mobile software application or towing vehicle on-board computersystem using intelligent towing plug software.

FIG. 7 shows an exemplary flow chart of the trailer test mode routineinitiated by the intelligent towing plug mobile app or software versioncompatible with a computer's operating system for the intelligent towingplug utilizing the intelligent towing plug PCB as described in FIG. 1.The default state of the intelligent towing plug is monitor mode asdescribed in FIG. 6.

The user initiates the trailer test sequence routine by selecting thetest button 200 on the mobile app. or software version compatible with acomputer's operating system. A second screen 201 displays and queriesthe user as to the towing vehicle and trailer's state. By indicating thetowing vehicle is stopped and in park then the system will begin thetest sequence routine. If the user indicates the towing vehicle andtrailer are not stopped then the test is not run and the routine ends.

If the test sequence routine is selected, a display warning 202 followedby a second query 203 requires the user to again confirm the towingvehicle and trailer are not moving. This step in the routine reduces therisk that the trailer lights are turned on and off during the testsequence routines while the trailer is moving and thereby creating afalse light indicator and safety hazard for other driver's of othervehicles in the vicinity of the moving tow vehicle and trailer. If theuser indicates that the tow vehicle and trailer are not stopped then thetest cannot be run and ends. If the user answers YES then the testsequence begins by asking the user to select the standard plug type 204.Plug type 204 are examples only. In another version of the intelligenttowing plug software or mobile app the intelligent towing plug willautomatically identify the plug type by circuit and pin configuration soplug adapters can be easily used with the intelligent towing plug.

The test sequence routine is then started in continuous serial modetesting each circuit one at a time or static mode testing all thecircuits at the same time (routine option button not shown). The resultsof the test 205 are displayed on the mobile app or on-board computeruser interface. If circuit faults are displayed then the user willreceive a separate diagnostic user interface and routine.

The next set of routines is the brake test initiated by the user throughthe user interface of the mobile app with a query 206 asking the user ifthey want to test the brakes. If the user indicates NO, the testsequence ends. If the user indicates YES, then the brake test routinebegins by instructing the user to push the brake pedal 207. The brakecircuit is tested and the results are displayed 208 on the userinterface of the mobile app. After the test is complete the system isset back to monitor mode 209.

At any time during the test mode the user can stop the test sequenceroutine by selecting STOP TEST 210 which is always displayed on themobile app user interface during testing mode routines.

This high level flow chart of the trailer test sequence routine of theintelligent towing plug is an example only of the sequences and routinesinitiated from the mobile app or software version compatible with acomputer's operating system and performed by the PCB inside theintelligent towing plug or attached compartment housing as described inprevious figures and embodiments of the present invention includingFIG. 1. There is a plurality of variations and sub routines to thevarious modes of the preferred embodiment of the present inventionincluding but not limited to trailer test and diagnostic mode, trailermonitor mode, battery mode and towing vehicle plug test mode asexamples.

FIG. 8 shows an exemplary view of yet another embodiment of the presentinvention showing the software application residing on an applicationserver instead of the smart phone connected by the Internet using amobile network to send and receive wireless trailer electrical systemdata transmitted using a wireless protocol to and from a smart phone.

FIG. 8. shows an exemplary view of yet another embodiment of the presentinvention showing the mobile app or software application 107 residing onan application server instead of the smart phone 106 connected by theInternet 112 using a mobile network 113 to send and receive wirelesstrailer and towing vehicle system electrical data transmitted to andfrom the intelligent towing plug 100 PCB using a wireless protocol toand from a smart phone 106 as described in FIG. 1.

In this embodiment of the present invention the smart phone uses itsmobile network 113 connectivity such as GSM, FDMA, CDMA or TDMA asexamples only to connect to the Internet 112 where the IP address of anapplication server is found and the intelligent towing plug mobile appor software application 107 is accessed by a smart phone 106. Asdescribed in FIG. 1. the wireless module component in the intelligenttowing plug 100 contains a transmission and receiving function using aninternal or external antenna and could use a plurality of wirelessprotocol configurations to communicate the trailer and towing vehicle'stowing plug electrical system data to a smart phone 106 or to the towingvehicle's on-board computer system as described in FIG. 4. The smartphone 106 receives and transmits data with the intelligent towing plug'smobile app or software application 107 over the Internet 112 usingmobile network 113 connectivity to the smart phone 106.

FIG. 9 shows an exemplary view of yet another embodiment of the presentinvention showing the software application residing on an applicationserver instead of the smart phone connected by the Internet using amobile network to send and receive trailer system electrical datatransmitted using the Internet via a mobile network to and from theintelligent towing plug PCB and smart phone.

FIG. 9. shows an exemplary view of yet another embodiment of the presentinvention showing the mobile app or software application 107 residing onan application server instead of the smart phone 106 connected by theInternet 112 using a mobile network 113 to send and receive trailer andtowing vehicle electrical system data transmitted to and fromintelligent towing plug 100 PCB using a mobile network 113 and theInternet 112.

In this embodiment of the present invention the smart phone and theintelligent towing plug 100 PCB uses mobile network 113 connectivitysuch as GSM, FDMA, CDMA or TDMA as examples only to connect to theInternet 112 where the IP address of an application server is found andthe intelligent towing plug mobile app or software application 107 isaccessed.

In yet another embodiment of this example of the present invention thetowing vehicle on-board computer system as described in FIG. 4 couldalso use mobile network 113 connectivity such as GSM, FDMA, CDMA or TDMAas examples only to connect to the Internet 112 where the IP address ofan application server is found and the intelligent towing plug mobileapp or software application 107 is accessed. The smart phone 106 and/ortowing vehicle on-board computer system receives and transmits data withthe intelligent towing plug's mobile app or software application 107over the Internet 112 using mobile network 113 connectivity to the smartphone 106 and/or towing vehicle on-board computer system as described inFIG. 4

In another exemplary embodiment intelligent towing plug 100 PCB ishard-wired via a communications bus connection from to the towingvehicle's on-board computer system as described in FIG. 4 and the towingvehicle's on-board computer system receives and transmits data with theintelligent towing plug's mobile app or software application 107 overthe Internet 112 using mobile network 113 connectivity.

Various modifications and alterations of the invention will becomeapparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the spiritand scope of the invention, which is defined by the accompanying claims.It should be noted that steps recited in any method claims below do notnecessarily need to be performed in the order that they are recited.Those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize variations inperforming the steps from the order in which they are recited. Inaddition, the lack of mention or discussion of a feature, step, orcomponent provides the basis for claims where the absent feature orcomponent is excluded by way of a proviso or similar claim language.

While various embodiments of the present invention have been describedabove, it should be understood that they have been presented by way ofexample only, and not of limitation. The various diagrams may depict anexample architectural or other configuration for the invention, which isdone to aid in understanding the features and functionality that may beincluded in the invention. The invention is not restricted to theillustrated example architectures or configurations, but the desiredfeatures may be implemented using a variety of alternative architecturesand configurations. Indeed, it will be apparent to one of skill in theart how alternative functional, logical or physical partitioning andconfigurations may be implemented to implement the desired features ofthe present invention. Also, a multitude of different constituent modulenames other than those depicted herein may be applied to the variouspartitions. Additionally, with regard to flow diagrams, operationaldescriptions and method claims, the order in which the steps arepresented herein shall not mandate that various embodiments beimplemented to perform the recited functionality in the same orderunless the context dictates otherwise.

Although the invention is described above in terms of various exemplaryembodiments and implementations, it should be understood that thevarious features, aspects and functionality described in one or more ofthe individual embodiments are not limited in their applicability to theparticular embodiment with which they are described, but instead may beapplied, alone or in various combinations, to one or more of the otherembodiments of the invention, whether or not such embodiments aredescribed and whether or not such features are presented as being a partof a described embodiment. Thus the breadth and scope of the presentinvention should not be limited by any of the above-described exemplaryembodiments.

Terms and phrases used in this document, and variations thereof, unlessotherwise expressly stated, should be construed as open ended as opposedto limiting. As examples of the foregoing: the term “including” shouldbe read as meaning “including, without limitation” or the such as; theterm “example” is used to provide exemplary instances of the item indiscussion, not an exhaustive or limiting list thereof; the terms “a” or“an” should be read as meaning “at least one,” “one or more” or the suchas; and adjectives such as “conventional,” “traditional,” “normal,”“standard,” “known” and terms of similar meaning should not be construedas limiting the item described to a given time period or to an itemavailable as of a given time, but instead should be read to encompassconventional, traditional, normal, or standard technologies that may beavailable or known now or at any time in the future. Hence, where thisdocument refers to technologies that would be apparent or known to oneof ordinary skill in the art, such technologies encompass those apparentor known to the skilled artisan now or at any time in the future.

A group of items linked with the conjunction “and” should not be read asrequiring that each and every one of those items be present in thegrouping, but rather should be read as “and/or” unless expressly statedotherwise. Similarly, a group of items linked with the conjunction “or”should not be read as requiring mutual exclusivity among that group, butrather should also be read as “and/or” unless expressly statedotherwise. Furthermore, although items, elements or components of theinvention may be described or claimed in the singular, the plural iscontemplated to be within the scope thereof unless limitation to thesingular is explicitly stated.

The presence of broadening words and phrases such as “one or more,” “atleast,” “but not limited to” or other such as phrases in some instancesshall not be read to mean that the narrower case is intended or requiredin instances where such broadening phrases may be absent. The use of theterm “module” does not imply that the components or functionalitydescribed or claimed as part of the module are all configured in acommon package. Indeed, any or all of the various components of amodule, whether control logic or other components, may be combined in asingle package or separately maintained and may further be distributedacross multiple locations.

Additionally, the various embodiments set forth herein are described interms of exemplary block diagrams, flow charts and other illustrations.As will become apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art afterreading this document, the illustrated embodiments and their variousalternatives may be implemented without confinement to the illustratedexamples. For example, block diagrams and their accompanying descriptionshould not be construed as mandating a particular architecture orconfiguration.

The previous description of the disclosed embodiments is provided toenable any person skilled in the art to make or use the presentinvention. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readilyapparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles definedherein may be applied to other embodiments without departing from thespirit or scope of the invention. Thus, the present invention is notintended to be limited to the embodiments shown herein but is to beaccorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novelfeatures disclosed herein.

What is claimed is:
 1. An apparatus that plugs into a towing vehicleplug and a trailer plug of a trailer, comprising: an outer housing; plugpins contained inside the outer housing configured to connect to anelectrical circuit of the towing vehicle and an electrical circuit ofthe trailer; a printed circuit board (PCB) contained inside the outerhousing, wherein the PCB is wired to the plug pins and configured toreceive power from the towing vehicle towing plug; a processor andmemory chip mounted on the PCB; software code stored in the memory chip,wherein the software code is configured to: determine that the traileris in a stationary state, when the trailer is in the stationary state,execute a testing protocol of the electrical circuits of the trailerupon initiating the electrical circuit of the trailer, upon executingthe testing protocol, terminate a monitoring protocol, terminate thetesting protocol upon completion of the testing protocol, resume themonitoring protocol of the electrical circuits of the trailer upontermination of the testing protocol, and transmit, via a wirelessmodule, a result of the testing protocol to an electronic dataprocessing device (EDP), and when the trailer is not in the stationarystate, transmitting a message to the EDP, the message indicating thatthe testing protocol cannot be performed; and the wireless modulemounted on the PCB and configured to wirelessly transmit circuit dataabout the electrical circuits of the trailer to the EDP having a userinterface for managing and displaying the circuit data, wherein the EDPincludes one of the following: a mobile software application or softwareinstalled onto an onboard computer of the towing vehicle.
 2. Theapparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plug pins are plug blades.3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the monitoring protocolis configured to monitor the electrical circuits of the trailer whilethe trailer is in use.
 4. The apparatus according to claim 1, whereinthe testing protocol is configured to test the towing vehicle plug. 5.The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the wireless module uses astandard wireless protocol.
 6. The apparatus according to claim 1,wherein the wireless module is a mobile chipset using a standard mobilenetwork.
 7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the outerhousing includes a male portion that plugs directly into the towingvehicle plug and a female portion that plugs directly into the trailerplug, the outer housing being portable between the towing vehicle andthe trailer.
 8. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the EDP isone of the following: a smart phone; a computer that is capable ofreceiving and transmitting data using a standard mobile network withInternet connectivity.
 9. The apparatus according to claim 1, whereinthe PCB is coupled to a connector located in the outer housingconfigured to couple with a battery or an alternating current source.10. A method performed by a device having a processor, the methodcomprising: determining that the towed vehicle is in a stationary state;when the towed vehicle is in the stationary state; initiating a testingprotocol for testing of a trailer electrical circuit; upon initiatingthe testing protocol, terminating a monitoring protocol; terminating thetesting protocol upon completion of the testing protocol; uponterminating the testing protocol, resuming the monitoring protocol, andtransmitting, via a communication module in communication with thedevice, a result of the testing protocol to an external computing deviceor an onboard device of a towing vehicle; and when the towed vehicle isnot in the stationary state, transmitting a message to the externaldevice, the message indicating that the testing protocol cannot beperformed.
 11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the testingprotocol includes a test of a towing plug electrical circuit of thetowing vehicle.
 12. The method according to claim 10, wherein thetesting protocol includes conducting a test of a brake system circuit.13. The method according to claim 10, further comprising initiating avisual or audible alarm when there is a circuit fault detected duringthe monitoring protocol or the testing protocol.
 14. The methodaccording to claim 10, wherein the testing protocol includes conductinga test of a lighting system circuit.
 15. The method according to claim10, wherein the testing protocol includes conducting a test of anauxiliary system circuit.
 16. A system for testing an electrical circuitof a towed vehicle, the system comprising: a housing mounted to a towingvehicle; a communication module located within the housing; a processorlocated within the housing and in electrical communication with thecommunication module; and a memory that stores instructions that, whenexecuted by the processor, cause the processor to perform operationscomprising: determining that the towed vehicle is in a stationary state,when the towed vehicle is in the stationary state, initiating a testingprotocol for testing the electrical circuit of the towed vehicle, uponinitiating the testing protocol, terminating a monitoring protocol,terminating the testing protocol, upon terminating the testing protocol,resuming the monitoring protocol, and transmitting, via thecommunication module, a result of the testing protocol to an externalcomputing device, and when the towed vehicle is not in the stationarystate, transmitting a message to the external device, the messageindicating that the testing protocol cannot be performed.
 17. The systemof claim 16, wherein the towed vehicle is a trailer.